We are now in Bangkok after riding a night bus from Chiang Mai last night. We were supposed to arrive in Bangkok at 5:30 this morning and then catch another bus heading down the southern gulf coast, and then catch a ferry out to Ko Pha Ngan island. However, the first bus was an hour late, so we missed the second and are now in Bangkok until 9pm when another bus leaves. Luckily we're in the backpacker area of Kao San Road where there is lots to do and see, if only we can stay awake! We just had breakfast, and are planning to kill time using the internet, writing postcards, and maybe looking into a guesthouse for a few hours to take a much needed nap. Neither of us got much sleep on the bus; the seats were uncomfortable, the air conditioning was too high, the guy behind us had stinky feet and the guy in front of us had stinky pits. We're still in high spirits because we are about to spend 8 days in paradise. Jealous?
Many people come to Chiang Mai for the trekking. There are many opportunities to go into the jungles to see elephants, hill tribes and other various wildlife. There are also many tourism companies offering extreme sports attractions like bungee jumping, rock climbing and riding dirt bikes through the jungle. So what did we do in Chiang Mai, you ask? Well, we walked around. We walked out to the university one day and got caught in a torrential down-pour. We sat on the terraces of cafes and people-watched. I could watch people all day, (it's interesting to note the subtle difference in saying "people-watching" vs. "watching people"). I especially get a kick out of seeing children play in the streets. You never see unattended children in the US, but here, it is just the way it is. But you can immediately see the closeness of siblings as the older ones keep close watch over their younger brothers and sisters. I was sitting on the sidewalk yesterday morning when a brother and sister, about 5 and 3 respectively, came walking along hand in hand. As they passed me, the little girl reached out, almost touching my face, and gave me a little wave and smile. I wanted to stuff her in my bag and take here home with me. But I resisted. As they crossed an alleyway, the older brother motioned for the sister to stop and wait as he "checked out the surroundings." He crept toward the alley like a spy to make sure it was okay to cross, then quickly waved his sister to cross quickly. The little girl knew this game well and quickly tip-toed across the alleyway. It reminded me of the games I used to play with my neighborhood friends. Children are so pure and untainted by social norms that they have a way of making the world just a little bit smaller.
Our plan for the next few days is to catch the night bus to Champhoun, hop on a ferry to Koh Phangan and arrive at our bungalow (Seaview Bungalows) overlooking the beach (Haat Rin) by Thursday afternoon. We will stay for atleast three nights and then take another ferry to Koh Samui.
